


catch a boat to england, baby

by nowrunalong



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Comics)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 18:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13172904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nowrunalong/pseuds/nowrunalong
Summary: Buffy and Faith reconnect. Post-season 8.





	catch a boat to england, baby

**Author's Note:**

  * For [buffylovesfaith](https://archiveofourown.org/users/buffylovesfaith/gifts).



> Post-season 8, Buffy canonically works part-time in a cafe and Faith moves to England. That's about all the context needed to follow this story!

“Hey, B,” a familiar voice says, making Buffy’s head snap up so quickly from her absent-minded inspection of the cash register that it makes her neck hurt. She reaches up to rub it, staring at the unexpected customer from behind the counter.

“This is where you’re spending your days now, huh?” Faith says, looking around the place. Takes in the coffee, the books, the hipsters with bad hairdos.

“Yep,” Buffy says. “And you? Thought you were going to England with… you know.”

“Angel,” Faith says. “Can’t even say his name, B?” She shrugs at Buffy’s answering frown. “It’s cool. I get it. And yeah. Gonna make a new life in the country of tea and biscuits. Just taking a vacay in San Fran first.”

“Couldn’t leave without saying goodbye?”

“Something like that.”

“Well,” Buffy says, “can I, uh. Get you a drink? Since you’re here.”

“Yeah, alright. Some kinda… mocha thing. With whipped cream.”

Buffy smiles. “I thought you’d be a black coffee gal.”

“Nah,” Faith says. “Too bitter.”

“One mocha with whip coming up.”

When Faith continues to stand there by the counter, looking a little lost and out of place, Buffy laughs. “It’ll be ready at the other end. My break’s in twenty—you want company?”

“Uh—sure,” Faith says, hesitant, like Buffy’s friendliness is some kind of trick.

“‘Kay,” Buffy says. “You can sit anywhere. I’ll find you.”

Faith nods and wanders off to find a seat. Buffy watches her go. She moves slowly, like she’s wading through water, or molasses. She’s so different than the girl Buffy had first met back in high school.

It’s a relief in some ways. She’s matured, for sure. Begun to assume responsibility for her actions. But a part of her misses the energy Faith had once had. The drive. The passion.

She seems so tired now.

—

Buffy brings Faith her mocha at the end when her break starts. She finds her in the back of the cafe in a quiet corner, away from the hordes of college kids fighting over electrical outlets.

“Here,” she says, setting the drink down on the table. She’d made herself one, too, and sips it as she sits down opposite Faith.

They’re both quiet for a moment, not quite making eye contact as they regard each other warily.

“You would not believe the number of gay guys that come through here,” Buffy says suddenly, as if they’d been talking amicably for hours. “I think about leaving my number with them—I _know_ , tacky rom-com move, but it’s worth a shot, right?—and then their date comes through the door and it’s another, equally cute, guy. I’m considering forever single-dom.”

Faith smiles. “Takin’ a page from my book?”

“No way,” Buffy says, wrinkling her nose. “I tried the one night stand thing. _Not_ as easy as you make it look.”

“Oh yeah? Who was the lucky guy?”

“You mean you didn’t hear about—?” Buffy sighs in relief. “I thought everyone knew. People I don’t even _know_ know. You know?”

“No,” Faith says. “Know what?”

“Oh. Hmm,” Buffy says awkwardly, looking over at the window. “About that. Actually, it was a two-night stand, ‘cause one was too hard and she was so—” Buffy stops and claps a hand over her mouth.

Too late. Faith had caught on. “She?”

“Uh. Mm-hmm.”

“Who, B? Was it Red?”

“What?” Buffy says. “No!” She frowns. “Why do you even care?”

“I don’t,” Faith says, shifting in her seat. She doesn’t look Buffy in the eye as she shrugs off her jean jacket and hangs it off the back of her seat. 

“It wasn’t Willow. It was another Slayer.”

“Another Slayer,” Faith says. She nods, and keeps nodding, seemingly unaware of it.

“Her name is Satsu.”

“Was it good? Was she—?” Faith laughs hollowly. “You know what? Never mind.”

“No,” Buffy says. “I mind. What are you on about?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you _jealous_?”

“Jealous? Of what? You, wrinkling the sheets with an amateur?”

“She’s not an _amateur_. She did things that you wouldn’t even—” Buffy eyes widen. “Ooh. You meant at… slaying. Not… hm.”

Faith still isn’t meeting Buffy’s eyes. She plays with her coffee cup, but doesn’t drink from it. She looks tired and restless and angry all at once.

“Are you mad at me?” Buffy asks, frowning.

“Why would I be mad at you? You can fuck who you like.”

“You seem mad.”

“I’m not.”

“And jealous.”

“You wish.”

Defiantly, Buffy tugs Faith cup from her hands. “You gonna drink this?”

Faith looks at her. Finally.

Looking right back at her, Buffy licks the whipped cream from Faith’s drink. She’d meant it to come all across all seductive, but it gets on her nose, and the sight of Buffy with her tongue in her drink and her nose covered in whip makes Faith smile.

And then laugh. A real, genuine laugh, bellowing up from the heart of her.

And then Buffy laughs, too, and suddenly neither of them can stop, and Faith is pounding the table with a fist and everyone is looking at them and it doesn’t matter, because life has become _this_ ridiculous.

“I think I’m gonna miss you,” Buffy says, once she’s calmed down enough to speak. She’s still grinning. “You never stick around very long. We don’t get a lot of girl-bonding time.”

“I’m here for another night,” Faith says. “You could come over after work.”

“Yeah,” Buffy says. “I’d like that.”

Faith smiles.

“You’d better keep in touch.”

“Yeah,” Faith says. “‘Course I will.”

“I mean it,” Buffy says. “You’re not allowed going AWOL on me anymore.”

“I like the freedom,” Faith says, shrugging. “No one keeping tabs. Just me ’n’ the wind in my hair. Or whatever.”

“I think freedom is starting to wear you out.”

“You sayin’ I look old?”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

Faith looks down at Buffy’s mouth, and Buffy leans back, surprised. It ruins the moment, and Faith looks away again, letting out a long breath as she does.

“Yeah,” she says. “That’s what I thought.”

“Faith.”

“I should go,” Faith says, standing suddenly. She grabs her jacket off the back of her chair. “It’s been a blast, B.”

“Oh my God,” Buffy says, and she’s standing, too, catching Faith by the wrist before she can move away. “You’re so dense, F.”

“How am I—” Faith starts, but Buffy interrupts her with a kiss.

Immediately, Faith stops trying to move away. She drops her jacket so that she can wind her hands around Buffy, one gripping her hip, the other in Buffy’s hair. They’re not close enough. Faith’s hand slides down Buffy’s back so that she’s holding her ass, pushing their hips together as she forgets, briefly, that they’re in a public cafe.

“Where’s your hotel room?” Buffy asks, her hands still cupping Faith’s face, their mouths an inch apart.

“Couple streets over,” Faith says, breathless.

“Wanna invite me over again? I have a message to deliver to the occupant.”

Buffy’s left hand trails down Faith’s side, til her fingertips hit Faith’s belt. Her thumb slides underneath the waistband of her jeans.

“Message received,” Faith says, grinning. She grabs Buffy’s hand. “Follow me.”

“Wait,” Buffy says, after they’ve run out, laughing, in the middle of her shift. “One condition.”

“What’s that?” Faith asks, suddenly wary again.

“This can’t be a one-time thing.”

“I’m leaving for England tomorrow,” Faith says.

“You’ll come back,” Buffy says, because now it's true.


End file.
